1728. Bailey, Dict., s.v.
To be, sit, or ride on the fence, verb. phr. (American).—To be neutral;
to be ready to join the winning side; to wait ‘to see how the cat will
jump.’ Also, To sit on both sides of the hedge. [Cf., Latin prævaricato
= straddling with distorted legs.]—See Jumping Cat.
1862. J. Russell Lowell, Biglow Papers, II., p. 97. A kind o’
hangin’ round an’ settin’ on the fence, Till Providence pinted how
to jump an’ save the most expense.
1887. ‘Political Slang,’ in Cornhill Mag., June, p. 626. Those who
sit on the fence—men with impartial minds, who wait to see, as
another pretty phrase has it, ‘how the cat will jump.’
1888. Texas Siftings, 7 July. While Democratic papers will claim
that Judge Thurman is as hearty and well at seventy-five as he was
at fifty-five, journals on the other side of the fence will
represent him to be a weak, feeble old man, much better fitted for
the invalid than the vice-presidential chair.
Those who thus seek to run with the hare and hunt with the hounds are
called fence-men. The operation is fence-riding, which sometimes
qualifies for rail-riding (q.v.).
1848. New York Herald, 14 Oct. All the fence-men, all the doubters,
all the seekers after majorities, will now bustle up, come out, and
declare that General Taylor is the most popular man in the country,
and that he was always their first choice.
1868. Congressional Globe, 17 July. This question is one of clear
right and wrong, and there can be no fence-riding, when the rights
of four millions of men are at stake.
Fencer, subs. (tramps’).—A hawker of small wares; a tramp: generally
used in connection with another word; thus, driz-fencer (q.v.) = a
pedlar of lace.
Fencing-Crib or Ken, subs. (thieves’).—A place where stolen goods are
purchased or secreted.—See Fence, subs., sense 2.
1785. Grose, Dict. Vulg. Tongue, s.v.
1839. W. H. Ainsworth, Jack Sheppard, p. 277, ed. 1840. ‘It only
leads to the fencing crib,’ replied Wild. ‘There’s no outlet that
way.’
Fencing-Cully, subs. (thieves’).—A receiver of stolen goods.—See Fence.
1720. Bailey, Dict., s.v.
Fen-Nightingale, subs. (common).—A frog. Also Cambridgeshire, and Cape
Nightingale.
Ferguson. You can’t lodge here, Mr. Ferguson, phr. (street).—A street
cry, popular about 1845–50; used in derision or denial. [Mr. J. H.
Dixon, writing to Mr. John Camden Hotten, under date Nov. 6, 1864, says
the phrase originated thus:—A young Scotsman, named Ferguson, visited
Epsom races, where he got very drunk. His friends applied to several
hotel keepers to give him a bed, but in vain. There was no place for
Mr. Ferguson. He was accordingly driven to London by his companions,
who kept calling out, Ferguson, you can’t lodge here. This was caught
up by the crowd, repeated, and in a week was all over London, and in a
month all over the kingdom. Mr. Dixon states he was introduced to Mr.
Ferguson, and that two of his companions were intimate friends.]—See
Street-cries.
Ferm, subs. (Old Cant).—A hole; with Spencer = a prison.
1632. Dekker, English Villanies. He [an angler for duds] carries a
short staff in his hand which is called a filch, having in the nab
or head of it a ferme (that is to say a hole).
Ferret, subs. (thieves’).—1. A barge-thief.